, why might a physician/doctor perform a Gram stain on a sample before prescribing an antibiotic?

Answer 1

To determine the type of bacteria causing the infection. Gram stain distinguishes gram positive and gram negative bacteria which have cell walls made out of different types of matter. The most effective type of treatment would depend on what type of bacteria are causing the infection and what type of cell walls they have.

Answer 2

A Gram stain is a way of identifying certain types of bacteria based on how the stain interacts with the cell membranes of said bacteria. By confirming the presence of such bacteria a physician can determine whether or not the prescribing of antibiotics is required and warranted and which antibiotics to prescribe as well.

This is especially important in a time when more and more bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to treatments due to the mis-prescribing and over-prescribing of antibiotics.

Answer 3

This is a simple test to determine the type of infectious agent present. Gram's Stain is a widely used method of staining bacteria as an aid to their identification. It was originally devised by Hans Christian Joachim Gram, a Danish doctor.

Gram's stain differentiates between two major cell wall types. Bacterial species with walls containing small amounts of peptidoglycan and, characteristically, lipopolysaccharide, are Gram-negative whereas bacteria with walls containing relatively large amounts of peptidoglycan and no lipopolysaccharide are Gram-positive.
Certain infectious agents are susceptible to certain antibiotics but others are unaffected by it, so the Gram's stain is a fairly fast test to determine whether or not certain antibiotics will prove successful.

Answer 4

If we have a Gram Positive stain we give Penicillin
If we have a Gram Negative stain we give Quinolones (in a general way)
Gram positive bacteria have a cell wall, gram negative don’t have it. Penicillin acts destroying cell walls, a bacterium without a cell wall is “naked” and rapidly dies. Also we expect that an enteric infection be due to a gram negative bacterium and an upper respiratory tract infection be caused due gram positive germens. If we find gram positive germens causing a GI infection something is going very very wrong.

Answer 5

to specify the organism one is infected with, Gram Stain is a test which is performed to know the bacteria which has caused the diseased, every bacteria has its own drug of senstivity to which it respond.so after performing that doc prescribes the proper drug.